The Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties has granted the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Clinical Practice provisional recognition as a veterinary technician specialty. The academy is the ninth officially recognized veterinary technician specialty and is modeled after the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Following the ABVP model, the academy has developed three initial species-specific categories: canine/feline, avian/exotic and production animal. The academy's credentialed veterinary technicians provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary care. Candidates are expected to demonstrate expertise in a range of clinical disciplines within their species specialty. Candidates eligible for admission to the academy's examinations are evaluated in areas such as anesthesia/analgesia, behavior, dentistry, diagnostic imaging, general medicine, general nursing, laboratory testing, pharmacology, practice management and surgical nursing. To learn more about VTS certification in clinical practice, contact academy chairwoman Liza Rudolph, LVT, CVT, at lwrlvt@aol.com. The Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties is a subcommittee of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America.
